Ch.8: Slap in the Face

Title: Heart's Pain

Author: LightningRose

A/N: Guys come on really do you honestly think Darien has a shoe in to her forgiveness because she kissed him back? This story is about mature, adult feelings. Yea its been 5 years and the feelings should be limited but these two are supposed to be "soul mates" one true loves and yes they will end up together in the end. But Serena will have Darien coursing through emotional retardation before she forgives him and accepts him back.

Just go with the flow and let the emotions of adults, confusion and sexual tension flow through the mind. Roll it around a bit, taste it, believe me it taste good. On with the show!


Serena sat in front of her tv, in her favorite recliner, in nothing but her underwear. She was staring at the tv, but not watching it, for nothing was even on, the tv was off. Staring at nothing but a black box, but to her it was replaying the day back to her in mini flashbacks.

What the hell was she thinking letting the Devil weaken her like that, kissing him back. Stupid woman! She was empowered one minute the next a weak little girl held hostage in his savage grip. Ok no harm in admitting is felt damn good to finally be kissed with such passion from the man she loved for the better part of her adolescence but geez she was no child anymore. She had a handsome boyfriend who knew how to take care of his woman in and out of the bedroom, what was her deal?

"Get a grip Serena, we cannot let that ape man win this time. It's high school all over again. Just be strong, and make him wish he never messed up in the first place. Darien Shields I know your game, this time your going down." Smirking with satisfaction with her strong hold fool proof plan, she decided a hot bubble bath, a glass of wine and a good nights rest would set the plan in motion.


Of course on the outside Serena was the perfect soldier, she appeared completely un phased by the kiss and what transpired between her and Darien. Which pissed him off to no end, how could she act like it was nothing, it irked him. When they were kids she became mush and clingy at the slightest bit of attention from him, now...nada.

It made working together even harder, she was fucking with him in the worst of ways. He caught on after the first day of it, thinking she was going through some hormonal episode at first but then he realized who he was dealing with. Serena might be grown up now and she might have changed and not be the same clingy mess of a girl. But if there was one thing about Serena that would never change, it was she never backed down from a challenge, in fact she went all out in high school with their little war games.

In their sophomore year he switched her lunch bag when she wasn't noticing, instead of finding a turkey sandwich she found a worm sandwich, he never heard her scream louder than that moment. It was the laugh of the school until the following week when Darien opened his locker and a few garden snakes jumped out at him, he wasn't afraid of snakes...honest. It just was unexpected and scared the shit out of him, so while hearing Serena scream like a banshee was funny, seeing Darien shields scream like a girl was hilarious. Needless to say school was canceled for the day so they could get all the snakes out. Serena was the high school hero then on.

"What is so funny?" Serena looked at the man in front of her like he was crazy, he was staring into space with a glazed look on his face and then suddenly broke out laughing. It was creepy.

"Oh nothing just remembering sophomore year and how you single handedly ruined my macho reputation." It didn't hurt that bad really, but he was sore until he saw her at junior prom. Then another game started.

It would seem they were repeating history and playing the same game all over again.

"Haha! Damn that was the best day of my life I think. Watching you jump clear across the hallway screaming like your precious hair was on fire. Oh God, those were good days." Darien admitted it was funny, and liked seeing Serena laughing her ass off at her desk but it wasn't THAT funny and it stung to hear her best days were those of torturing him.

Soon after she calmed down he noticed she got quiet again, that stern look back on her face. Darien could not for the life of him tell what was on her mind, she was confusing him too much. Just yesterday they were agreeing to be friends again and making out behind her desk. Now she was acting like they were just friends.

"So about yesterday..." He wanted to bring up the kiss, explain his feelings more. But she interrupted before he could.

"Ooh guess what, Diamond wants to take me skiing for the weekend. It sounds so romantic, alone in private cabin. Doesn't that sound great Dare?" Serena smiled brightly at him then rambled on more about the weekend but Darien zoned her out.

She was speaking to him like they were best friends, calling him Dare again, telling him about dates with other guys. They really had reverted back to high school. And NO! it was not romantic or great that she was going to be alone with Diamond in a cabin and skiing all weekend where he could not reach her. He needed to do something, stop her some how.

"You're going on a vacation in the middle of this project? What happened to being super busy and not even having time for this project? Thought you had better work ethics Sere." He was pissed they both knew it, but would she show him she didn't care what he thought or accept his challenge to how she works.

"You know Darien..." It would seem everyone was getting cut off today. The phone rang just then. It was still up in the air what she would do.

"Stanton speaking." The two glared at each other from across the desk.

"Oh hey Diamond, I was just thinking about you in fact." Serena smirked, Darien frowned.

"Oh well that's fine I understand, we can just see each other when you get back." Serena smiled tightly, a fake not pleased one from what Darien could tell, it only caused him to lean back and look smug. Her little vacation was off.

"Ok yea, haha yes I had a great night to. That breakfast you made the next morning was amazing." Serena's eyes caught Darien's. She knew she was taking it too far letting him know she slept with Diamond, but he needed to pay for the pain he caused her.

Darien wasn't a fool, he knew by the look in her eyes and the comment about breakfast was a clear jab that she slept with Diamond. He almost broke the arm on the chair he was sitting in from gripping it so tight. Waiting till she got off the phone he just sat there staring at her.

"Well I guess I won't need to take a break from the project as I am not going out of town this weekend. Diamond is going on a business trip." Ignoring the fuming man in front of her, Serena decided it wasn't a good idea to taunt him. He had always been a jealous man.

"You slept with him." The way he said it made her feel like a slut, like she was in the wrong for sleeping with Diamond.

"He is my boyfriend. I can sleep with him anytime I feel like it." The air became cold, she could feel a battle starting. She could either try to calm him down or they could duke it out. This needed to be done.

This conversation needed to happen, it was well overdue. They needed to finally figure out what was going on between them, what happened all those years ago.

"You have been dating the man a few weeks! Don't you think thats a little to fast!?" Darien was furious, to think his sweet little Serena was this easy. To sleep with a man she barely had been dating but a few weeks.

"I am a grown woman Darien I may sleep with who ever I want to. And no I do not think its too fast, I wanted him, he wanted me, were dating, it happened. Just because you couldn't seal the deal doesn't mean no other man will." It was a slap in the face, it still hurt to know he wasn't her first but he didn't deserve it anyways.

"I tried to respect you, you were young and naive, you didn't know what you wanted or what you were asking for! I wanted to protect you from that! From myself!" She stared at him in shock. She never expected that would be the reason.

"I wasn't your little sister Darien. I was your girlfriend. And I knew exactly what I wanted and what I was asking for. The problem was you just stopped looking at me like a woman, and only saw me as the girl you grew up with." They were both standing now, Darien pacing, his breathing erratic.

Maybe it was true, he loved Serena he knew that but when they dated it was just comfortable with her, he became so used to her always being there. Being the girl who he knew his entire life and picked on, eventually became best friends with and then finally dated. It was natural and comfortable but he couldn't get passed seeing her as that little girl she was inside. She might have matured physically but on this inside she was still sweet little Serena he wanted to protect from assholes like himself.

Then things with Raye started, and he confused his intimacy with her for love, it wasn't until Serena left, that he realized just how much she meant to him. He tried to continue with Raye but he just couldn't be with her anymore, he felt guilty and heart broken. He hadn't slept with another woman since, in four and a half years he never dated or slept with other women. It had always been Serena.

"Your right. I was a horrible boyfriend and I am honestly sorry Serena. Believe me after you left I couldn't be with Raye anymore. I won't lie and say it stopped immediately, we tried but we felt too guilty and realized we truly didn't love each other. I always want to protect you even if it means from myself. I didn't deserve to have you back then and I surely don't now but I lost you once I will be damned if I give you up again." Darien stopped pacing by now, stood directly in front of Serena and she could see the determination in his eyes. She knew this project once finished would not be the end of her and Darien.

"Let me be the judge of who deserves me, stop trying to protect me Darien I'm not a little girl anymore. If you had just stopped and let things progress the way they should have, who knows we would probably be married with kids by now." After saying it she knew she shouldn't have. Not only did it pain her heart to think of a life such as that with Darien, one she didn't have. But she knew it would cause him just as much if not more pain.

After the death of his parents Darien wanted nothing more than to have a family of his own. He constantly talked about it with her, wanting a family, how she would be his wife and they would have children running around. She tried on many occasions to "start" it but he always claimed they were too young and not ready and she didn't want to push him.

"I still want that life Serena. It has always been you, I have made horrible mistakes when it comes to you but it has always been you. After Raye there were no other women, I have told myself I would wait for you and I have. And I will continue to wait."

Serena didn't know how to take that, to think he hadn't been with other women after Raye. It didn't mean he was an angel but she was starting to get fed up with the drama of their lives. She would need to rethink things and he would need to prove himself to her.